Community Builder Plan – Updated!

Thank you to all the communities that submitted an expression of interest for a Community Builder to work in their area! We think this programme will be a fantastic investment in communities across the city.

We provided an update to the communitie that applied to support a community builder in April 2017- so this is an update about what has happened since.

The steering group considered the expressions of interest and the feedback onthe draft plan. We also had a number of meetings with Exeter Community Initiatives who applied to host the Community Builder team. We have had very detailed dicussions about the budget, how money wil be spent – and where. We want to ensure the programme is properly funded and that there will be some match funding contributed towards this significant programme. As a result ECI has revised their budget and funding plan and we have also revised the Community Builders plan.

The revised plan aims to ensure all those areas that are keen to support a Community Builder are allocatd one, we have also incorporated suggestions from councillors about areas that would benefit from the work of a Community Builder. The orgional plan won’t fit within the revised budget (even though its some £600k of CIL and New Homes Bonus monies over 5 years!) so we are approaching the plan from a different point of view – that community builders in the areas identified will start off on a minimum of one day a week and that there are funds the budget to allow an increase in hours to meet the needs that are identifed – the orgional plan will be kept as a guide. We will review this approach annually and during the third year we’ll review the whole programme.

The plan and budget have been reveiwed by the Grants Panel who have recommend that it now through the Council’s decsion making processes.